SINGAPORE — WHAT THE FUTURE HELD wasn’t clear to this lass when she first came here for a job in 2009. But after battling homesickness and the demands of a restaurant job, she won. JANINA ESPINOZA now manages two branches of a food and beverage company in this city, and just recently she bagged the title of Dream Top Model 2016 as its new Queen.

We met Janina at the competition, held at Shanghai Dolly Theatre at Clark Quay on February 28, where this blogger served as one of the finale’s judges, one of the hardest tasks we’ve taken on so far.

Setting our eyes on Janina for the first time as she graced the stage in the opening number, we knew instantly she was one of the girls to beat. She had an edge as the tallest of them all, at 5 feet 8 inches. That was both an advantage and a disadvantage: getting the judges’ attention is one thing, but proving that she deserved the crown for her performance and not just her height is another.

The competition was obviously cutting edge. Personally, I had around five or six ladies on watch, all with what it takes to win. The not-so-tall girls were equally pretty and had superb performances. In front of an audience of around a thousand Overseas Filipino Workers and locals, including dignitaries, the contestants performed as if they were going to eat each other alive. They were into winning it. Really.

The night’s performances made it clear that catwalk guru Eddy Rosdi, a Singapore-based choreographer and fashion designer who is also behind the show (along with Morpheus’ Dhave dela Cruz, Arthur Jhake Villanueva, and Maria Antonethe Fadallan), did a great job training the girls for five months for this grand showdown. And that made our job even harder.

The Queen Emerges

But Janina, in her grand performance and even in her simplest, stayed on top of the competition from start to finish. Some girls may have overtaken her in other portions, but in my judgment she was never off our radar, and that’s all that mattered. In the end, she emerged the victor without question or doubt.

Asked at our post-event dinner interview whether she expected the win, Janina humbly said no, as there were many pretty girls and catwalk goddesses. I told myself it was probably that humble heart that made Janina shine brightest. That character oozed from her in the formal attire portion, where she strutted a simple look in a white gown during the final walk, the portion from which we decided our winners.

We told her she resembles actress-dancer Maja Salvador, and she smiled widely, nodded hesitantly, and said she’s been getting the compliment and is grateful for it.

Winners Never Quit

It wasn’t her first competition. Janina lost in a modeling competition eight months earlier, and this win proves once more that those who succeed never quit.

A self-confessed dreamer of bigger things, Janina says she doesn’t stop until she reaches her dreams, big or small, including joining the annual Dream Top Model competition. The event, organized by Morpheus Hub and Entertainment Production, a company set up by OFWs Villanueva and dela Cruz, aims to find the gems of the OFW community here. Janina included.

Winning made the 25-year-old Cavite-born lass one of the talents managed by Morpheus and the start of a modeling career she has wanted since she was younger.

Juggling her job as a manager and now a model may be hard, but at least it gives her a clearer view of what lies ahead. Janina is certain it won’t be easy, but her F&B experience, mixed with what she’s learned from dressing up in fabulous outfits and high heels to show the world beauty even when it’s difficult, makes a perfect combination: not just your usual restaurant manager but also a catwalk queen on duty.

*Photos courtesy of Mr. Kajjo Cuadera of Pinoy Strobist (The Official DTM Photographer), Janina, Morpheus, Viven Balsomo, Tommy Vercetti, and Ryan Cabrera.